In the NFL, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft instantly becomes a cornerstone piece of their franchise. When that player is also a quarterback, all eyes focus on him. Fernando Mendoza, the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback, stepped up to the microphone at a recent press conference, and a former player chimed in with his opinion regarding the player the Raiders hope will lead them to winning seasons.
Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza’s Relatability Questioned by Emmanuel Acho
When the Raiders finished last season with the worst record and got the No. 1 pick in the draft, all eyes shifted to the quarterback position. Now, Mendoza is the face of the franchise. However, former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho believes the rookie signal-caller could struggle to relate to his team. He discussed it during a segment of his “Speakeasy” show.
“My only fear is this, and I’m going to have an uncomfortable conversation, quarterbacks need to be relatable,” Acho said. “They just do. The best quarterbacks on the best teams, the Tom Bradys, the Patrick Mahomeses, the Josh Allens, they kick it with the brothers, they kick it with the country boys, they kick it with the hood cats, they kick it with whoever, even if they’re white.”
The former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker mentioned Brady. Now a minority owner with the Raiders, Brady has become a driving force not only in reshaping the team but also in finding its franchise quarterback.
When Mendoza played his last college game, a College Football Playoff championship win over the University of Miami, Brady and majority owner Mark Davis were in attendance. Plus, the future Hall of Famer FaceTimed Mendoza during the Combine. Also, Brady, who lives in Florida, was in attendance for Mendoza’s first official visit to Las Vegas.
In essence, Acho does not seem sure that Mendoza can reach his teammates on a personal level, as his contemporaries can. That could come from how some perceive the former Indiana star. Following that, Acho uses a former Raiders quarterback as a metric.
“I don’t know the last time the Raiders had a relatable quarterback,” Acho added. “Geno Smith notably got punched in the jaw back when he was with the Jets. Derek Carr, I relate to him, I’m a pastor’s kid. Derek Carr is now like preaching in his free time.”
Like Carr, Mendoza is devoutly religious and expresses elements of that during just about every postgame interview. While the Raiders made the playoffs twice during Carr’s tenure and failed to win a playoff game, he still maintained a strong connection with the players in the locker room.
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The Raiders possess a far different situation than other teams. The franchise running back and tight end, Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, two of Mendoza’s presumed targets, are both younger players with fewer than five years of NFL experience.
Subsequently, Brady and new head coach Klint Kubiak will rely on the trio to provide a spark for the offense. Last season, the Raiders landed at the No. 31 spot in the PFSN NFL Offense Impact Rankings. Can Mendoza lead them to a better finish?
